Anthracenenitrile
oxide undergoes 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions
with 1-substituted-4-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)benzene affording the expected
isoxazoles in good yields and as single regioisomers. N–O Bond
cleavage and boron complexation afforded the corresponding boron complexes,
derivatized with either a triple bond for click-chemistry applications
or an oxime group for nitrile oxide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The
optical properties of these compounds show potential for employment
as fluorescent tags in imaging techniques. The activity-based protein
profiling assays showed good reactivity for the synthesized probes
even with short peptide chains (epoxomicin). Scope and limitations
are discussed in the light of the obtained results.